How To: Prevent Jet Lag

Hopping from one time zone to another will not only force you to change the time on your watch, it also screws with your internal clock. No matter how exciting an upcoming business trip or dream vacation may seem, there is a potential thorn in your side: jet lag. This condition can affect every traveler — novice or pro — and has to be dealt with whether you're crossing an ocean or going from one North American coast to the other.

Jet lag should not be dismissed as a small matter. Many experts on the subject suggest allocating one day of respite on your trip for every hour that you are displaced from your "home" time zone. Pharmacists, homeopaths and psychologists have all weighed in and given their advice on the best way to conquer its symptoms. The result is a multitude of solutions at your disposal, to be put in place before, during and after your lengthy flight.

Whether you're a chronic jet lag sufferer or simply don't wish to waste your precious days in paradise sleeping in a hotel bed instead of lying on the beach, these tips on how to prevent jet lag are for you.

Jet lag symptoms

Symptoms include fatigue, headache, dehydration, irritability, and a hard time sleeping or concentrating. These pains are all a result of your body and mind trying to readjust to times of as few as three and as many as 12 hours away from the one you're used to. Jet lag can hit on overseas and intercontinental flights and its effect depends more on the amount of time zones you cross rather than the flight's length.

prevent jet lag before your flight

Adjust meal times

Adjusting to meals, for instance, is a key way to set your body clock straight. Eat your dinners, lunches and breakfasts according to the times of your destination. Though this may seem inconvenient during those last few days prior to leaving, it will really pay off when you find yourself already habituated to the times away from home. For instance, if you live in Boston (GMT -5) and are going to London (GMT +0), you should eat later than usual — though pushing your dinnertime from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. would be a bit excessive.

Eat the right foods

As for specific dietary recommendations, professionals advise high-protein, low-carb, low-calorie meals, containing limited amounts of sodium and fat. The protein provides energy, while the limited calories and carbs make you feel less sluggish.

Eating food with the amino acid L-tryptophan, like turkey, can help you get a great night's sleep right before you depart or leave you tired enough to rest on the plane. This will take care of your restlessness as well as fill you up.

The "right foods" can also be the ones most commonly eaten at your destination. For instance, if you're going to India, you can plan ahead and start eating curried dishes, in order to avoid the shock of this new spice when you arrive. This will help to keep the stomachaches that are often related to jet lag to a minimum.